Hinds_M6A1

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Three Rivers Community College *

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K221

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Physics

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Feb 20, 2024

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Course: PHYS204 Section: Module 6 Name: Kaitlin Hinds Instructor Name: Dr. Felix Rizvanov __________________________________________________________________________ Title : Snell’s Law: The Refraction Angle __________________________________________________________________________ Abstract : This experiment was set up to prove the Law of Refraction, also known as Snell’s Law. Using a computer program, I was able to observe how the angle of refraction changed in response to a change in the index of refraction and the angle of incidence. My results found that an increase in index of refraction would cause a decrease in the angle of refraction. In the latter part of the experiment, it was found that an increase in the angle of incidence would result in an increase in the angle of refraction. With these outcomes, I was able to conclude that Snell’s Law held true. __________________________________________________________________________ Introduction: The purpose of this lab was to observe the effects of index of refraction and angle of incidence on the angel of refraction. This experiment seeks to prove the theory of Snell’s Law, or the law of refraction. This can be seen in the following equation n 1 sinθ 1 = n 2 sinθ 2 . The report examines the response of the refracted angle when the corresponding index of refraction and the angle of incidence is changed. As the angle of incidence and index of refraction for the upper material were held constant, a change in the index of refraction for the lower material resulted in an opposite change in the angle of refraction. Later, both indices of refraction were held constant, and the angle of incidence was the changing variable. As the angle of incidence increased, the angle of refracted increased as well. The equations necessary for this experiment are: θ 2 = sin − 1 ( n 1 sin θ 1 n 2 ) Absolute Diff = ¿ θ 2 calc − θ 2 meas ∨ ¿ % Diff = ¿ θ 2 calc − θ 2 meas ∨ ¿ θ 2 calc ¿ Where n 1 represents the index of refraction for the upper material, n 2 represents the index of refraction for the lower material, θ 1 represents the angle of incidence, and θ 2 represents the angle of refraction. It was observed that an increase in index of refraction will cause a decrease in the angle of refraction, and an increase in the angle of incidence will cause an increase in the angle of refraction. Equation 1 Equation 3 Equation 2

__________________________________________________________________________ Methods: For this experiment, I used the bending light simulation from PHET Colorado to adjust the variables affecting the index of refraction. First, I turned on the laser and placed a protractor at the point where the two materials and the normal line meet. The angle of incidence was set to 50  and the index of refraction of the upper material was set to 1.00. I then varied the index of refraction for the lower material and measured the angles of refraction. For the second part, I removed the protractor. Next, I set the index of refraction for the upper material to 1.00 and the lower material to 1.425. I then varied the index of incidence and used computer’s angle measurements to measure the angles of refraction. __________________________________________________________________________

Results: For this experiment, I first observed the angle of refraction at varying indices of refraction for the lower material. I used a protractor to measure the angle of refraction at an index of refraction of 1.10, 1.40, and 1.60. The measured angles of refraction can be seen in Figure 1, Figure 2, and Figure 3. The data showed a decrease in the angle of refraction as the index of refraction was increased. Along with the protractor measurements, I used the Equation 1 to calculate the angle of refraction. Next, I held the index of refraction for both materials constant. I varied the angle of incidence and observed the angle of refraction. I used the computer’s angle measurement to measure the refracted angle as the angle of incidence was changed in 10-degree increments from 10 degrees to 80 degrees. After the computer’s measurements, I used Equation 1 to calculate the angle of refraction. Then, I used Equation 2 to calculate the absolute difference and Equation 3 to calculate the percent differences. The following chart illustrates the effect of index of refraction on the corresponding angle of refraction. Index of Refraction n 2 Measured  2 Calculated  2 1.10 45  44.14  1.40 34  33.17  1.60 29  28.61  Figure 2 Screen shot of the angle of refraction at an index of refraction at 1.40 Figure 1 Screen shot of the angle of refraction at an index of refraction of 1.10 Figure 3 Screen shot of the angle of refraction at an index of refraction at 1.60

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